Biology Final Paper - due April 7th

Here is the information for your Biology Final Paper

1. The title of your paper is "The Diversity of Life"
   
2. Guidelines: 500 word limit
   
3. You can submit your paper electronically if you wish to laurence_spears@yahoo.com

Assignments for Week Thirteen - The Science of Life

Blog assignments for this week:

• What significance would you attribute to chimps "making tools"?
• Giant toads and Colossal squid - whatever next?
• Post a comment to a classmate's blog

Biology Class Blog List

Here is the latest list of class blog addresses:

www.dzaft.blogspot.com

www.bcbiology.blogspot.com

http://brownrabbit-bio.blogspot.com/

www.kazeleyes.blogspot.com

www.acubianca.blogspot.com

http://rachel-biology.blogspot.com/

www.wereallchimps.blogspot.com

www.em-bio.blogspot.com

Physics and Biology Field Trips - March 26th and March 28th, both at 11:30

Our Biology Class Field Trip has now been confirmed for Friday, March 28th at 11:30.
We'll be touring Charles Chocolates here in Emeryville.

Charles Chocolates is located at 6529 Hollis Street, between 65th and 66th Streets.

Please confirm with Larry as numbers will be limited.

http://www.charleschocolates.com
510 652 4412 / 888 652 4412

You are also welcome to join our Physics field trip - to have your aura photographed - confirmed for Wednesday, March 26th, from 11:30 onwards at:

Psychic Reality
1630 Webster St.
Oakland, Ca. 94612

Psychic Reality is located on the corner of 17th Street and Webster in downtown Oakland - close to both downtown Oakland BART stations. Street parking is generally available.

http://www.psychicreality.com/
Call 800 557 3233 or if local 510 251 6560

Assignments for Week Twelve - Vaccination and Public Health

Blog assignments for this week:

• Should "parents take a more active role in designing their children's immunization schedule"?
• Would you support making vaccination programs compulsory?
• Post a comment to a classmate's blog

Check out the following links:

Vaccines - How and Why?
http://www.accessexcellence.org/AE/AEC/CC/vaccines_how_why.html

Public Health Risk Seen as Parents Reject Vaccines
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/21/us/21vaccine.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Vaccine - from Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaccine

Assignments for Week Eleven - "Which Way Forward?"

Blog assignments for this week:

• If you had access to all resources how would you deal with “the global crisis in diet”?
• Would you expect “carbon offsets ” to work effectively?
• Do you agree that “Laughter really is the best medicine”?
• Post a comment to a classmate's blog

Check out the following links:

http://www.unexplainable.net/artman/publish/article_1452.shtml
Our Biological Future Will Open New Doors

http://www.biodiv.org/default.shtml
Convention on Biological Diversity

www.godoylab.com/pages_other/futuro_biologico_ingles.doc
Biological Future
An Argument for the Use and Development of Biodegradable Materials for Design

Assignments for Week Ten - Restoring the American Bison to its rightful range

Blog assignments for this week:

• How would you prioritize the reintroduction of the American Bison?
• How would you assess the “New pill promises to reduce breast cancer risk”?
• Post a comment to a classmate's blog

Check out the following links:

http://www.intertribalbison.org/default.asp
InterTribal Bison Cooperative

http://www.gprc.org/Buffalo_Commons.html
Buffalo Commons

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/buffalo/strength.html
A SYMBOL OF STRENGTH

Biology Mid-Term Assignments

The format for your Biology Mid-Terms is as follows:

1. Choose an area of biology you wish to research
2. Agree your choice with Larry
3. Larry will arrange a date for your presentation to class
4. You will have up to half-an-hour of class time to present your topic, including discussion and questions/answers
5. Finally, submit a short written report on your presentation
   

And here is the schedule of presentations so far:

Jan 28 Emily Biology and Race

Feb 4 Bianca Medicine and Evolutionary Development

Feb 11 Chris The biology of belief and epigenetics

Feb 18

Feb 25 Rachel Sleep Biology

Mar 3 Michael Bio-energetics

Mar 10 Dawn Nutrition and the evolution of digestion

Mar 17 Katy Intelligent Design and Evolution

Mar 24 Brian Scientific Measurement of Emitted Qi

Assignments for Week Nine - Ecosystems and Deep Ecology

Blog assignments for this week:

• What do you think about the “eight-point Deep Ecology Platform”?
• Can you explain why “Ecosystems are both strong and fragile”?
• How would you assess the “end goals” of Social Ecology?
• Post a comment to a classmate's blog entry
  

Check out the following links:

http://www.bioregions.org/GYE.htm
The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, USA

http://www.zulenet.com/see/newStuartHill.html
Social Ecology

http://uber.tv/g-one/archives/2005/03/005499.html
Making the Invisible Visible

Assignments for Week Eight - Cell Biology: HIV and AIDS

Blog assignments for this week:

• How do you feel about western approaches to HIV/AIDS?
• Can TCM strengthen our immune systems?
• What do you think of “the deal that saved the whale”?
• Post a comment to a classmate's blog entry
  

Check out the following links:

http://www.alternativemedicinechannel.com/hivaids/tcmtreatment.shtml
alternative medicine channel

http://www.context.org/ICLIB/IC22/Zimmrman.htm
Introduction To Deep Ecology

http://www.ecospherics.net/pages/DrengEcophil.html
Ecophilosophy, Ecosophy and the Deep Ecology Movement: An Overview

Assignments for Week Seven - Cell Biology and Cancer

Blog assignments for this week:

• How sophisticated is our understanding of cancer?
• How does a TCM approach to cancer differ?
• Are our genes still being shaped by natural selection?
• Post a comment to a classmate's blog entry
  

Check out the following links:

http://www.learner.org/channel/courses/biology/textbook/cancer/cancer_13.html
Rediscovering Biology

http://www.learner.org/channel/courses/biology/textbook/hiv/hiv_1.html
HIV and AIDS

http://www.stemworks.org/digests/EDO-SE-02-07.pdf
Teaching About the Life and Health of Cells

Assignments for Week Six - The Nature of Life

Blog assignments for this week:

• How do you distinguish between living and nonliving systems?
• What do you feel is the significance of the use of language and tools in chimps?
• "Chinese Medicine Gaining Respectability in West"?
• Post a response to a classmate's blog
  

Check out the following links:

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/plants/cell/
Plant Cell Anatomy

http://www.life.uiuc.edu/cgi-bin/plantbio/cell/cell.cgi
Virtual Cell

http://www.mandalazone.com/essay-0507.html
Thinking Through: The Mind and the Mandala
by Peter Barreda

Assignments for Week Five - The Complexity of Life

Blog assignments for this week:

• Can diversification save species?
• Do you vote for the chicken or the egg?
• “I always eat my broccoli!”
• Respond to your classmate's blog entries

Check out the following links:

http://www.reed.edu/~mab/papers/4.puzzles.htm
Four Puzzles about Life

http://www.combusem.com/CAPRA2.HTM
The Web of Life
by Fritjof Capra

http://www.mooseworld.com/
Mooseworld

Assignments for Week Four - The Pattern of Life

Blog assignments for this week:

• Is there a drug around for just about everything?
• Can we raise our levels of dopamine ourselves?
• How do you think chimps and humans diverged as species?

Check out the following links:

http://www.resurgence.org/resurgence/articles/capra.htm
THE IMMUNE SYSTEM OUR SECOND BRAIN
FRITJOF CAPRA

http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/playground/life.html
The Game of Life

http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-36174
Philosophy of biology

Assignments for Week Three - Genetic Evolution

Blog assignments for this week:

• “99.4% of the most critical DNA sites are identical in human and chimp genes”
  What do you make of this?
• Check out the Prokaryotes, Eukaryotes, & Viruses Tutorial
  http://www.biology.arizona.edu/cell_bio/tutorials/pev/page2.html
  Post your results in your blog
• Post a response to a classmate's blog
  

Use your blog to record your impressions of Human Genetic Evolution
http://www.cartage.org.lb/en/themes/Sciences/LifeScience/PhysicalAnthropology/
HumanGeneticEvolution/mainpage.htm


*Reading Assignment - "Can you catch cancer?"*

Please read and prepare notes on the issues raised in the article in this week's class material entitled "Can you catch cancer?".


Check out the following links on Cybernetics:

http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/COMPNATS.HTML
Self-organization and complexity in the natural sciences

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autopoiesis
Autopoiesis

http://www.calresco.org/lucas/auto.htm
Autopoiesis and Coevolution

Assignments for Week Two - "Evo - Devo"

Blog assignments required for this week:

• Post your thoughts on Evo-Devo
• How does Darwinism matter to me?
• Respond to a classmate's blog

**Extra Credit Assignment**

Research the likely size of the Neanderthal population in Europe, and post a short report to your blog.

Reading Assignment

To prepare for our discussion next week on "Pharming", please read and prepare notes on the issues raised in the article in this week's class material entitled "Down on the pharm".


And check out the following links on Darwinism:

http://www.hhmi.org/biointeractive/evolution/howdidwegethere.html
How Did We Get Here?
From the inheritance of acquired traits to natural selection to evo devo, evolutionary theory has itself evolved
By Steve Mirsky

http://www.leaderu.com/orgs/arn/pearcey/np_dcpolicy0500.htm
Why Darwinism Matters
Washington DC Policy Briefing
May 10, 2000
By Nancy R. Pearcey

http://www.answersingenesis.org/home/area/faq/origin.asp
Origin of Life Questions and Answers
“Answers in Genesis”

Assignments for Week One - Our Biological Selves

1. Start your blog - try blogger.com - and send your url to laurence_spears@yahoo.com

Your blog assignments for this week:

• Post a short bio introducing yourself
  
• Choose one of the Discussion Issues raised in this week's class, and post your thoughts to your blog
  
• Post a comment to a classmate's blog entry
  

2. Check out the following links on Evolution:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darwinism
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/
A PBS program from 2001
“Evolution – a journey into where we’re from…and where we’re going”

http://evolution.berkeley.edu/
UC Berkeley’s website
“Understanding Evolution”


Use your blog to record your impressions

Welcome!

Welcome to Integrative Medical Biology at AIMC Berkeley

My name is Larry Spears, and I'll be guiding you through your Biology Course here.

As you now know, your assignments will be carried out on your own blog
So, please email me as soon as you have set up your blog account
- my email address is laurence_spears@yahoo.com

The assignments for each week will be posted here on my blog, as will a list of blog addresses for the class.

Namaste

Larry